Lonley Eighteenth
by arebeltotheidea
Summary: That night I made a deal with myself to stop hiding from everybody at school. That night, I turned eighteen and was not alone to celebrate it. That night I fell for Nate Archibald. Nate x Oc Leah


7th episode.

Nate + Leah

Nate Archibald + Leah-Rose Quincy

New York had never scared me. My feet knew their way around just as well as my mind did, a glare of car lights whizzing past me in the hurry of the night, which, was only just starting.

Saturday night, I had a large variety of places to go, but I just felt like a quiet night in the city I loved. I'd skip out on the party on ninth, lie about the essay I was finishing back home and just get out for a breath.

I needed it.

I looked up at the fancy hotel, blinking as it started to lightly patter down with rain. It was only a moment as I looked down awkwardly at my black wedges, jeans and dark shirt, that I realized how out of place I would look going inside. But the rain took on a sudden angry rage and, as if on cue, bucketed down.

I yelped and pulled my bag up my shoulder, squinting and running towards the only cover I could see. The hotel.

My black hair that had been straightened nicely this morning would now curl once I got dry. Great. The clothes were now sticking to my light chocolate skin as if it wanted to reveal my whole figure.

I didn't trust my feet in the wet. I didn't trust myself anywhere really. But just as I thought about the danger I had put myself in by running in the wet, my left foot slipped out from under me, my hand grabbing for the rail of the stairs and a crack of lighting setting off in the sky.

Someone hit my shoulder front on, partaking in my fall with a startled grunt as they almost ran from the front door.

I hit the wet pavement in the dark night of hard rainfall with a splash. I sighed at myself and instead of getting up and looked at myself and laughed, now totally drenched, "That'd be right…" I mumbled.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" A boy, no older than myself bent over me. He also wore jeans and a blue sweater, matching his eyes which held me at a powerful gaze as soon as they touched me.

I nodded slowly and he held out a hand, pulling me up. "We should get out of the rain." I only nodded again as he lead me quickly up the stairs under the shelter before the door to the hotel.

I looked down at myself and wiped the hair out of my eyes quickly, blinking, "Thanks."

"I'm so sorry. Again." He said, his jaw line tense. He didn't look happy at all.

"It's okay, I'm fine. It happens all the time." I said, looking up at him. This was another surprise. I never usually had to look up at many people. I was about five eleven after all.

"You fall over a lot?" He asked, voice almost making me smile. He certainly was attractive.

I nodded and there was a silence that quickly became slightly awkward. I looked at my feet and then gasped, looking up, "Hey, how about I buy you a drink?"

He smirked, "Are you trying to pick me up?"

My eyes widened, "Oh, no.. I mean… well, I was just… you know… to say thanks for… saving me from breaking my.. neck.." I looked down. I was rambling.

He laughed, "I didn't get you until you hit the ground. It was my fault you fell in the first place."

"I was done for even before you even got outside the door." I looked at my feet, "I'm not exactly a runway model. My legs don't seem to have much coordination."

He smiled, "A drink."

I grinned.

"In here or? I just mean…" I gestured to myself. I wasn't really dressed in heels and a pretty dress, diamonds around my neck and high carrots on my fingers.

He nodded and groped at his own wet shirt, "A place more suitable to our appearance, you mean?"

I smiled shyly and then worried. "I mean, not that this place is bad. It's very nice. I didn't mean to offend you at all…"

"Please," He smiled, "This is the one place I was wanting to avoid. A drink would be nice."

I grinned, "Well… if you aren't busy, my place is just around the corner. Only if you want to, though. We might get there suitably dry if we run the speed of light."

He frowned and then looked around, spotting a basket that a butler had put outside the door and grabbed for a black hook out of it. He put the umbrella up which was a glossy black, just like the handle.

He held it up, "Will this do?"

"Cozy," I smiled, as he held it above us, leading me down the stairs. I had a goofy grin on as I walked along side of him; close to him so that my arms brushed his wet clothing and sent shivers up my spine.

He looked down at me, "Are you cold?"

I shook my head and he pointed, "Is that the place?"

"Yes," We both hurried down the street towards it. The building was tall and welcoming. I tried many times to hurriedly shove my keys into the door to get it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Is everything okay?" He asked behind me, rain pattering loudly onto the umbrella.

"Yep, hold on…" I glared at it and jumped as it buzzed at me. A woman answered. Mrs. Corri.

"Who is it?" She snapped.

"Oh, Mrs. Corri, thank god. Can you open up?"

"Who are you?"

"Leah… I live down the hall from you. Room twenty-three?"

"I don't know." The line went dead and I let my forehead hit the wall, hair hang wet over my shoulders as I sighed.

"What's wrong?" The boy asked who still stood silently behind me.

I shook my head, "I hate that old lady… Come on, there's a back door around the corner of the building." I said, taking him down the stairs and around the side of the building. We got in through the back door into the small stairwell.

I ran fingers roughly through my hair, trying to air it out a little and shook my clothes, water droplets falling.

I took a peek at the guy and he looked even better in the light. His brown hair was messy as he shook water off it. He grabbed at the bottom of his sweater and looked at me, "You don't mind, do you?"

I shook my head, "No. Of course."

He took it over his head, the wet material pulling his undershirt up slightly to expose his stomach. I looked away, my cheeks flaring.

"So Leah," He threw the sweater over his arm and smiled, putting the umbrella aside in the stairwell as we climbed up them. "do you go to Constance, here?"

I nodded and opened the door into the hallway of the building. He smiled as I lead him to my door. This place wasn't five stars, but four was close enough, right? My apartment room was large with a balcony, ensuite, double bed and lovely white marble kitchen. My grandparents were way too generous sometimes.

I bit my lip and put my bag down and walked in, turning on all the lights. "Sorry for the mess…" I grabbed up a few books on the coffee table and an empty mug.

The guy shook his head, "No it's… it's nice. Do you live by yourself here?"

I nodded and shrugged a shoulder, "My parents are divorced and so I lived with my grandparent's for the longest of times… before they helped me pay for my own place."

He nodded and then held his hand out, "My name is Nathanial, by the way. But people call me Nate. Nate Archibald."

I held mine out to shake it, "Leah Quincy. Usually called Quincy by my friends." His grip was firm, yet gentle, his skin soft on his hand. His fingers were slender and pale against mine and I couldn't help but stare at them for a moment. I liked hands.

"Let me take that," I held a hand out for his wet shirt. He handed it to me and I gestured to the couch for him. He sat down and I turned on my electric fire place, the flames bursting to light with the sudden gas that seeped out of the blackness.

I hung the shirt to dry in front of it, slipping off my shoes and pulling on some white socks. They felt better after being clothed against the cold.

"So, that drink? What do you like?" I smiled, turning towards the kitchen.

"Anything is fine with me," Nate said politely and I laughed.

"I have a wide variety of 'anything'. Give me some specifics," I looked over the counter top at him.

"Oh… uh… then I guess gin?"

I nodded, "Sure,"

My fingers searched my little cupboards for glasses, pulling two out and carrying them along with a bottle of gin about the size of my forearm. I put it on the table and sat on the couch, pouring glasses and handing him one. "So why were you in such a rush to get out of the hotel?"

He took a sip and held the glass numbly, elbows on his knees. He stared at it for a long moment and after the silence grew on I bit my lip.

"Sorry, it's none of my business."

"No, it's okay." He looked up quickly, his blue eyes almost filled with alarm. "I just had to get out, you know? My friend was… never mind." He laughed.

I frowned, "I know what you mean. Getting out seems to be all I've been wanting to do for a while now. Just kind of forget about everything. This friend though?"

He shook his head, "It's just a bit of a crazy story, that's all."

"I can handle crazy." I smiled.

He gave a breath, taking another sip of the drink. "Well, see I broke up with my girlfriend who was kind of expecting me to propose to her and now her and my best friend are now dating, my father's got issues and my mother seems to look at me with shame. It just feels like…" He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. "It just feels like I'm not doing anything right."

I reached out and touched his hand lightly, then pulling mine back and putting it on my lap. I didn't want to give off forced ideas. "I'm sure whatever you're doing is right thing. All the bad stuff has to lead up to something good, right?"

He sighed and shook his head, "I just don't know anymore."

I smiled sadly at him, looking down at my lap and then back at him. "What happened between your girlfriend and you?" I cursed myself; such a stupid question. "Sorry, that's probably personal."

He shook his head at me, smiling. "It's okay. I was just… not in love with her anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear," I said softly.

He looked up at me, his eyes almost making me want to melt into the couch. I'd be a puddle that would stain, that was for sure.

"So what's your story?" He asked.

I shrugged, "Nothing to harsh really. My parent's finally gave up fighting for custody when I was sixteen and got my grandparent's to take me in. I've lived in New York ever since."

"May I ask a personal question?"

I grinned, "I've asked many tonight. Shoot." I sat back.

He was sitting forwards still, almost as if he was hunched over on himself. He turned his head to look at me, "Why didn't you want to live with your parents?"

I sighed and bit my lip.

"You don't have to answer.. I was just curious."

"Curiosity is good chemistry." I smiled and he did too. Good. "I was just sick of the fighting _so_ much. My mother was an accountant who was juggling a job, a boyfriend who enjoyed painting pictures of the Bahamas and a daughter she couldn't take care of yet refused to let go and my dad was just so obsessed with showing her how much better off he was what with his mustang, twenty year old blond and golf company." I rolled my eyes, "My grandparent's took me when I hit a rough spot and I realized that everything I wanted was with them, so I decided to stay. My parent's finally let go and it's been great ever since then."

He grinned, "Sounds like you know what you want out of life then."

I shrugged, "Not really. I just know that my grandparent's will be something to help me get there."  
He nodded and I frowned, "What about you? Are you getting anything in life that you want?"

"No." He said simply, looking down.

I sat up and stared at him for a long moment, reaching out and lightly putting my hand on his shoulder. I felt my heart take up a few extra beats and I felt a little silly and nervous about doing so, but I rubbed soothing circles on the shoulder.

He reached up and put his fingers on my hand, turning and looking at me. We sat there and just looked, watching as we learned, just from reading each other's eyes.

We started talking again, just about school, friends… just the general interests before the bottle of gin was basically empty and I hiccupped lightly.

I was slightly tipsy, but not particularly drunk. Okay, just a little, but I was always hard with alcohol. I didn't break easily.

Nate and I now sat on the floor, our backs against the foot of the couch and the fire warming out feet, his shoes next to mine. I didn't know where this was leading, but I was already on the ride and didn't want to get off.

I laughed as he finished the joke with laughter of his own that sent tingles up my toes and legs.

"Yeah… I never did it again," Nate looked at me.

"I don't blame you," I grinned at him.

He stared at me for a long patronizing minute before turning his whole body towards me. He reached out and touched my cheek, "Why haven't I seen you around?"

"I make a note of trying not to get noticed." I smiled shyly at the touch. Excitement built in my stomach as I felt attraction to him come on a lot stronger than it had at first.

"Why?" He asked.

"I don't know." I answered honestly.

He smiled at me, the emotion reaching his eyes. He leaned slightly inwards towards me, his lips drifting closer. Oh my god. I was about to kiss a guy I had only just met on the street. Even worse, I _did_ know who he was, but only after he'd introduced himself. I even knew the famous Blair he had been going out with for so long. I never liked that girl. She'd destroyed my life at one point. I never really trusted anybody at that school afterwards.

His lips paused just before touching mine, our noses next to each other and eyes connected. It was an intense stare as he usually gave me, but this time it was different. My eyelids fluttered closed lightly as I felt the warm, soft skin of his mouth touch mine.

Lips brushed mine in a kiss of curiosity.

My stomach knotted with the excitement of his lips pressed against mine, moving ever so slowly and pushing his tongue into my mouth.

I turned my body slightly, fingers sliding up his neck to his jaw and holding his face.

I didn't want the moment to end. Ever. Everything just swirled into nothingness around us and all I could feel, think or even hear, was the both of us. Here. Now.

Kissing on my living room floor.

I broke the kiss slowly, but barely moved away. Our eyes were heavy lidded and my lips moved against his, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," He leaned over and pressed my back into the cream couch, one of his hands on my neck and other fingers in my hair.

I grinned, "Bedrooms that way…" I mumbled as I broke for air. He pulled me up, our bodies battling together, bumping and brushing. Hands roaming and lips kissing.

This went to the hall, to the bedroom and onto my double bed with silk sheets. That night I made a deal with myself to stop hiding from everybody at school. That night, I turned eighteen and was not alone to celebrate it.

That night I fell for Nate Archibald.


End file.
